Weather to improve for Stutsman County Fair

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Katie Ryan / The Sun Trevor Schmitt, left, and Blake Bossingham work to adjust a Stutsman County Fair sign at the fairground’s entrance Tuesday. The fair opens today.

Talk about it

A dark cloud quite literally looms over the Stutsman County Fair opening today.

Forecasts for Wednesday include about 1.5 inches of rain and chance of severe storms throughout the evening and early Thursday morning.

But that didn’t stop fair board directors, grounds crew and office help who whacked weeds, hung signage and cleaned despite sprinkles and a little thunder early Tuesday morning.

“We gotta work around it, doggone it,” said Jim Exner, fair board director, as two teenagers rewound the wires of a “Welcome to the Stutsman County Fair” sign and another fair board director cut weeds along the exterior of the Secretary’s Office.

The Stutsman County Fair begins today at 4 p.m. But even before the gates open to the public, judging begins on the 4-H exhibits at 9 a.m. and selection and awards begin at 2 p.m. So, fair officials spent the morning preparing.

“We’re trying to gussy the place up, you might say,” Exner said.

Already, the four grounds crew members as well as a group from Youth for Christ and other volunteers had mowed the lawn areas, raised flags and painted and stained the fair’s 74 benches and bleachers.

But workers had more to do.

Darline Trautman and Carolyn Exner, office helpers at the Secretary’s Office, swept floors, dusted tabletops and washed windows Tuesday before opening the office today.

The two have greeted guests, taken phone calls and offered minor first aid at the Stutsman County Fair for about 20 years a piece.

“It’s our get-together for the summer,” Trautman said.

And the work didn’t end there.

Ground crew workers Blake Bossingham and Trevor Schmitt, both 16, moved trailers, fixed signs and still planned to arrange picnic tables Tuesday.

“We aren’t going to get that much done if it rains,” Bossingham said. Within the hour, rain drops fell.

But despite a wet start, the weather is expected to change, meteorologists said.

The weekend should be a pleasant one, said Joshua Scheck, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“Things are brightening up for later in the week,” he said.

Temperatures are expected in the upper 70s and low 80s with relatively low humidity and light winds throughout the weekend, he said.

Even with one rainy day, fair attendance is expected to exceed last year’s, said Mike Williams, secretary/director.

“It’s been a long winter and everyone’s been strung out with the flood and what not,” he said.

Gate admission for the fair is $4 for adults and children 13 and older; $1 for children ages 7-12, and children 6 and under are free. A four-day pass is $10.

Sun reporter Katie Ryan can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by e-mail at kryan@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, stustman county, news, fair, weather